Chapter 156: A Morning of Wolves and Bargains

The next morning, Xia Qing was woken up by the noisy clucking and honking of the chickens and geese.

She went downstairs, saw Boss Sheep still fast asleep, so she tiptoed to the tool room to turn on the lights for the poultry, laid out fresh feed and water, when she heard a series of heavy thuds outside—something big had fallen.

The wolf pack had arrived.

They’d brought two wild piglets—one was dropped in front of the sheep shed, the other was left right at Xia Qing’s security door.

Xia Qing stared in shock. Stepping outside, she pointed at the piglets and asked the alpha wolf, “Sis, are these both Green Light wild piglets? If you snatch up every Green Light animal, won’t they go extinct? We need sustainable development. What are we supposed to eat later if you catch them all?”

The alpha wolf strode over to the sheep shed, dragged out the injured brain-evolved wolf, and placed it beside the piglet before fixing Xia Qing with a stare.

Xia Qing caught on right away. She promised loudly, “Don’t worry, Sis. Even if top-tier evolved raptors show up today, I’ll do everything I can to protect your teammates. If they want to hurt the wolves, they’ll have to get through me first!”

Grinning, Xia Qing hauled the piglet inside and checked—it really did have the Green Light mark.

How on earth do these wolves always manage to pick out the Green Light animals with such accuracy? What’s their secret?

But today there were more pressing battles to attend to. She didn’t have time to process and store pork, so Xia Qing immediately messaged Ji Li at Territory Seven to see if they wanted a Green Light piglet.

Ji Li replied quickly—she and her team wanted all the parts Xia Qing didn’t. That suited Xia Qing just fine, since she honestly didn’t have the energy to deal with pig entrails and heads today.

She swiftly bled the piglet, skinned it, cut it in half, then sealed each half in a vacuum bag. Afterwards, she took them to the north barrier of Territory Three to meet the folks from Territory Seven, exchanged codewords, and completed the trade.

The other party was all business. They simply handed her a glass container wrapped in insulation and a sheet of A4 paper. Xia Qing accepted it and said, “Thanks. I’ll return the box next time.”

Back home, she checked the handwritten note and learned the box contained two injections that needed to be used within two hours. Once opened, both had to be administered intramuscularly within fifteen minutes.

The kit also included two anesthetic tablets to be dissolved in water—no side effects. Along with the medicine for the wolves came three packs of specialized hemostatics and a tube of anti-swelling and pain relief spray for herself.

Forget the wolf meds; just these four things for her alone were more valuable than the Green Light piglet. That’s the kind of trade only a foodie like Zhang San would make—no one else would be so generous.

Delighted, Xia Qing packed everything away, then went out to clean up the courtyard. She wasn’t sure where the wolves had dragged the leftovers, but all that remained was a huge pool of blood.

After scrubbing the ground and spraying deodorizer, Xia Qing noticed the alpha wolf napping in the sheep shed, looking utterly exhausted. She spoke gently, “My queen, you really don’t need to keep bringing me Green Light prey every day. The Yi Stone you gave already covers the fee for two wolves.”

Xia Qing tugged out the Yi Stone hanging from her neck and showed it to the alpha. “If you just give me one more of these, you won’t have to bring me any more prey.”

The alpha wolf didn’t so much as open her eyes, but Xia Qing saw her twitch a bit of her fuzzy, nicked ear, so she knew she’d been heard. What the alpha decided to do, though, wasn’t something Xia Qing could guess.

With such hefty ‘rent’ paid, Xia Qing certainly had to provide top-tier care for her two VIP wolf guests. After cleaning the courtyard, she fished the basin from the sheep shed using a stick, gave it a thorough wash and disinfection, then filled it with fresh spring water and set it in front of the sheep shed. She showed the wolves the anesthetic tablets.

“My queen, everyone, please look. These tablets are for the two injured wolves. After drinking the water, you’ll get sleepy, and then I’ll be able to give you injections.”

Injections can sting a bit. If she didn’t sedate them with the tablets first, Xia Qing wouldn’t dare stick either, afraid of getting bitten.

Xia Qing often medicated the wolves, so they already understood what the tablets were for. As soon as she set the drugged water inside the sheep shed, the injured brain-evolved wolf started drinking willingly.

Another healthy wolf in the sheep shed tried to sneak a sip but was immediately stopped by the alpha and the brain-evolved wolf with the injured waist, both letting out low growls.

The brain-evolved wolf with a hurt waist started licking up the water. Once it’d had enough, the wolf with the broken leg got a gentle swipe from the alpha before crawling over and drinking a good bit as well.

When the broken-legged wolf finished, Xia Qing scrubbed the basin, refilled it with clean water, and put it back in the sheep shed. “My queen, this is fresh water for you, too.”

The alpha wolf stayed put, eyes still closed and motionless.

Xia Qing watched the two injured wolves closely. When she saw the one with the broken leg collapse after trying and failing to support itself, and the injured brain-evolved wolf’s head slump onto the grass mat, she hurried back inside to get the box. “My queen, can you two make some room? I need to treat these wolves now.”

Not one of the four wolves budged. The shots had to be given within two hours, and with battle preparations looming, Xia Qing didn’t have time to waste. She called out to her ally, “Boss, come out here!”

Boss Sheep kicked open the door and padded outside, hooves clattering.

Xia Qing waved the box his way. “Get your buddies out here—I need to treat the two injured wolves. Hurry!”

Boss Sheep squinted at the box for a while, gave it a sniff, decided it wasn’t food, then trotted into the sheep shed and grabbed the broken-legged wolf by the neck. He easily dragged it right to Xia Qing. The alpha wolf hauled the other injured wolf out, too.

Xia Qing had planned to just enter the sheep shed to give the injections…

Well, this wasn’t exactly what she’d meant, but it worked.

Give injections to the injured wolves right in front of the healthy ones? Xia Qing didn’t have that kind of nerve—she was worried the alpha would tear her apart if she saw it happen.

She carried the two injured wolves indoors, set them on Boss Sheep’s tatami, opened the sealed box, and gave them each a muscle injection. The instructions didn’t specify, and Ji Li hadn’t said, so Xia Qing had no idea what exactly was in these thirty-milliliter syringes—but it had to be something potent.

Otherwise there wouldn’t be such strict storage conditions and urgency.

After finishing, she carried the wolves back outside and told Boss Sheep, “All set, help me drag them back inside.”

Boss Sheep just squinted at her, unmoving.

Xia Qing gave in. She fished out a compressed ration from her pocket, softened her tone, “Thanks for helping, Boss. Sorry for getting you up so early—here’s your reward.”

Boss Sheep perked right up. He motioned for Xia Qing to place the ration in his pouch, then happily dragged the injured wolves back into the sheep shed.

Noticing the alpha was still staring, Xia Qing used the same coaxing voice, “My queen, you work the hardest, hunting and hauling prey every day. I’m honestly impressed and grateful. You’re amazing—please take your companion back to recuperate in the sheep shed.”

Satisfied, the alpha finally wandered out and gently dragged the brain-evolved wolf back in.

With the wolves all settled, Xia Qing went back inside, grabbed the sprayer to apply deodorizer, when she heard news playing on the radio:

“Last night, the flock of evolved raptors that lingered in the Evolver Forest clashed directly with Hui One Base’s first line of defense. The battle has begun.”